Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to separators and methods for separating at least a part of particles from an air flow, and more particularly to devices and methods for removing at least a part of particles from an air flow in a turbine engine.
Turbine engines, and particularly gas or combustion turbine engines, are rotary engines that extract energy from a flow of combusted gases passing through the engine onto a multitude of turbine blades. Turbine engines for aircraft are designed to operate at high temperatures to maximize engine thrust, so cooling of certain engine components, such as the high-pressure turbine and the low-pressure turbine, may be necessary. Typically, cooling is accomplished by ducting cooling air from the high and/or low pressure compressors to the engine components which require cooling.
Particles, such as dirt, dust, sand, and other environmental contaminants, in the cooling air can accumulate inside cooling passages and degrade the thermal barrier coating. For example, particles supplied to the turbine blades can clog, obstruct, or coat the flow passages and surfaces of the blades, which can reduce the lifespan of the turbine.
Single-stage cyclone separators are often used to remove and collect the particles, where the collection efficiency depends on angular momentum, particle size and cyclone design. The need for higher collection efficiency requires greater angular momentum at the expense of higher pressure loss.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide new devices and methods for removing particles from an air flow to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems.